Three Times The Trouble pt 1
by Autmn and Winter
Summary: Strange things start happening after two strange girls arrive in LA.


Title: Three Times the Trouble   
Author: Autumn and Winter   
E-Mail: nimue_2@hotmail.com   
Rating: PG-13   
Disclaimer: The only characters that are ours are Hope and Trinity Williams, Vivian and Matt   
Summary: After Faith is in jail, strange things being to happen after the arival of two identical sisters   
Feedback: We'd love to hear what you think of our story whether it's good or bad. Please be sure to e-mail us and let us know at Nimue_2@hotmail.com   
Note: telepathy is indicated by : :   
  
When there was a sudden knock at the door, Jennifer Williams climbed sluggishly from the couch and headed to the door to answer it.   
"Vivian," she said, recognizing the woman at the door, "this is a…surprise…" Vivian smiled.   
"I'm in town on business, but I thought I should drop by and see how you and the girls are doing…"   
"It could be better," admitted Jennifer with a shrug, "but it could also be worse…" Vivian nodded…"Vee," said Jennifer suddenly, "you were right…about them having powers…Two of my girls do… At first it was just small subtle things, but now that they're older it's more obvious and I've begun to think about what you said…Without control, it could get out of hand and I worry…"   
"Listen, Jen…I have experience with magic…I could teach them, but I don't want to take them away from you…"   
"Maybe you're right, maybe it would be better -"   
"Jen, I don't want to take your daughters away from you."   
"No, I think it may be better that way. We both know that in the end I wouldn't be able to support all three girls…"   
"I would prefer to take all three of them, I'm hesitant to separate them, it wouldn't be right…"   
"Yes, Viv, I know, but please, I love my daughters. It will be hard enough saying good-bye to two, please, don't make me give up all three…"   
"Oh, Jen, that's not what I meant," relied Vivian, "I want you and your daughters to come live with me…I could offer you a job and then all four of you could stay together." "That really means a lot to me, Vee, but I want to try and make it on my own, if that's all right with you…"   
"All right, Jen," said Vivian with a smile, "I understand. I'll take good care of your daughters, I promise, but if you change your mind, just let me know, I'm never too busy to talk to my sister- in-law, ever…I'll be here in town for quite a while yet, so call me whenever you want…I'll be by to pick up the girls before I leave…" Jennifer nodded and Vivian claimed that she had to get going, but that she'd call soon. Jennifer watched her sister-in-law leave, just as she saw a man with four children, a little girl with bright red hair, and three, beautiful, identical, dark brunette girls, head up the walk.   
"How are you Jennifer?" the man asked.   
"Pretty good," replied Jennifer, "come on girls, it'll be supper time soon."   
"Bye Krysta," called the triplets in unison as the man and his little girl headed back down the walk. Then Jennifer herded her daughters into the house thinking of Vivian and how much she'd miss her little girls. She new the three would forget each other after a little while, but she decided that it was for the best…It would be too hard for them being separated if they knew.   
  
**********   
  
Two cars pulled into the lot at one of the most expensive hotels in LA the two young women that climbed out of them were almost perfectly identical from their dark just past shoulder length tresses, to the beauty marks on their right cheeks.   
"How was your drive, Trin?" asked one walking over to the other. The other waved a hand almost in dismissal.   
"It could have been better, but oh well…What about you, Hope?" The first shrugged.   
"Long," she replied.   
"I'll second that." The two headed into the hotel together after grabbing their bags. They walked up to the front desk to get their room keys.   
"Hope and Trinity Williams," said Trinity. The two smiled when the man at the desk did a double take.   
"Yes, uh, of course," he stammered. He handed them their keys, " The penthouse, right?" The two nodded, "It must be nice to be you two," he said.   
"It is," replied Trinity already heading for the elevator.   
"Thanks," said Hope following her sister.   
  
*****   
  
Wesley was just heading into work. He stopped at a red light and spotted a familiar figure walking down the street…He immediately recognized the dark hair, the pouty lips…   
"Faith?" he said out loud to himself, "how did she get out of prison?" He could only come to one conclusion that she'd broken out and he grew concerned…If she had turned back to evil then Angel could be in trouble. He would have to warn him.   
Wesley got into the office just as Angel was coming up the stairs from his suite.   
"Angel,"said Wesley almost breathlessly, "I just saw Faith… walking down the street…"   
"So did I," said a woman's voice. The man and the Vampire both looked to see Cordelia Chase standing in the doorway.   
"No, that's impossible,' said Angel dismissively, "I just came from visiting Faith in prison…"   
"I tell you, it was Faith," insisted Wesley, "I wouldn't forget her, I'm sure…Only…"   
"Only…" pressed Angel.   
"She was dressed a little unusually…I mean for her. She was wearing a pair of blue jeans and a tank top, but she was dressed in light colours and her jeans weren't her normal skin tight fit…"   
"No way," replied Cordelia, "when I saw her, she was wearing a light blue tank top and a short black skirt, you must have made a mistake…"   
"Are you certain it isn't you who is mistaken?" Wesley snapped back.   
"You both must've made a mistake," insisted Angel, "I tell you, I was just there and she was still in the prison and she made no indication that she was planning on leaving or even attempting an escape…Something strange is going on."   
  
*****   
  
It was mid-morning. Trinity had decided to take a walk and so she had left her still sleeping sister and headed for the park.   
'It really is a beautiful day,' she thought as she sat down on a bench, 'Still, it isn't home…' She was contemplating this when a strange man came and sat down next to her. She acknowledged him with a quick smile and then returned to her thoughts. Suddenly the man moved closer and put his arm around her shoulders and then began to kiss her left shoulder. She immediately felt herself recoil.   
"Whoa,"Trinity cried, "red light, breaks, back the truck up… what the hell is going on, and who the hell are you?"   
"Very funny," the guy replied, "Why didn't you meet me the other night?"   
"Look, I just got into town yesterday, so I don't know who you think I am, but just back off…" She jumped to her feet and began to walk away, "Come near me again and you'll be lucky if calling the police is *all* I do."   
  
*****   
  
When Hope woke up it was nearly 11:00am. Trinity had gone out so Hope headed to the coffee shop they'd agreed to meet in before going for lunch. She took a seat in a booth and waited. Trinity would probably be there between 11:30 and noon. She ordered a coffee and relaxed. She missed home, but it would be nice to see her aunt too. As she was waiting a strange, yet very hot, young man came up to her and sat down next to her. Without a word he had his arm about her shoulder and was kissing her neck.   
"Hey…hey, *whoa*!" cried Hope, "Stop sign, breaks, back the truck up…Who in the hell are you?"   
"Aw, come on, don't tell me you don't recognize me…"   
"Oh, I assure you, we've…never…met…" replied Hope sharply.   
"What are you talking about, Faith? We danced for hours after that big fight you caused in the bar -"   
"Wait a minute…rewind the tape…My name isn't Faith, it's Hope and I've never known anyone named Faith. Now stop harassing me or I'll make you wish you'd never laid eyes on me." She climbed to her feet and decided to go for a walk to clear her head. She wondered if Trinity had encountered any strange men so far that day.   
:Trin,: she thought to her sister.   
:Yeah,: came the telepathic response, :I just had the weirdest thing happen to me.:   
:Really? Me too…You go first…:   
:Well, some strange, wacked out guy came up to me and started acting as though he knew me or something…:   
:Really? That's exactly what happened to me…He called me Faith…Have any idea who he may have been talking about?:   
:Damned if I know, but it's creeping the hell out of me…: :You and me both, sis…:   
  
*****   
  
There wasn't much to do in her cell, yet Faith felt more at peace than she ever had in her entire life…Yet, she still had trouble sleeping at night. She kept seeing the people she'd hurt and killed in her dreams…She was still tormented by those images…and then the last couple of nights she'd been having strange dreams about two women about her age. She never saw their faces, but it seemed to her that she knew them from…somewhere, but she couldn't remember where. She wondered if she should speak to Angel…but at the same time she thought that maybe she should just not concern herself. She recalled that when she was little, before she was summoned to her calling as a Slayer, she had had similar dreams, and yet she couldn't help but wonder if they meant something. It was all too weird for her…   
  
*****   
  
Trinity and Hope had both returned to their penthouse after their strange encounters.   
"Ugh, that was just too weird," muttered Hope shivering involuntarily.   
"You've got *that* right," agreed Trinity, "I'm afraid to leave in case we get harassed again.   
"I wonder…" said Hope thinking aloud.   
"Wonder what?" Hope looked at her twin.   
"I'm not sure…I just wonder how a person could make that sort of mistake so easily. It's not like we have a third sister or anything…"   
"At least we don't think we do," said Trinity.   
"Oh, please, let's not get into that, Trin. I would think that Aunt Vee would've at lease let us know sooner if that was the case…at lease I would like to hope so…"   
  
*****   
  
Somewhere in the vast pipelines of Los Angeles a gathering of nine or ten demons grouped together plotting a new way to end the world. They were all studying an ancient tome that had prophecies, rituals, and spells written throughout it. The ritual they now studied was indeed one to bring about the destruction of human kind and to open the gates of Hell.   
"The blood of a ssslayer," said one in a low, hissing, yet creaky, grating voice, "find her we musst and ssacrifice her to complete the ritual." The others nodded.   
"Heard I did that arresssted sshe was and taken to prisson," hissed another, "eassy to catch will ssshe be."   
*****   
"This weekend Aunt Vee wants us to go and visit her," Hope said hanging up the phone just as Trinity emerged from the shower, "She has hopes that we'll stay for dinner."   
"What did you say?" asked Trinity absently as she towel dried her dark hair.   
"I told her that I couldn't speak for you, but that I'd definitely be there," replied Hope.   
"Smart girl," Trinity said, "but, yeah, I'll be going too. It's always nice to see her…When she's not working…" Trinity's voice held a note of bitterness that reflected what Hope felt.   
"It's nice that she has time for us," agreed Hope.   
  
*****   
  
Faith laid on her back on the hard prison bench and stared up at the featureless ceiling. She sat bolt upright when she thought she heard the sound of a struggle outside the prison block. After a few moments a deep, thick silence followed. She almost had to wonder if she'd gone deaf as she strained her ears for a sound, *any* sound. After moments that seemed like hours, she became aware of a low hissing sound that vaguely resembled breathing, just beyond the cell block door, but she could see nothing. Slowly a mist seemed to cloud her eyes…Was the block filled with the mist, or was it just her eyes? Both thoughts frightened her. If it was the entire block, then it meant that some force of darkness had found its way in…If it was just *her* eyes…well then she didn't even *want* to consider *that* idea. She began to feel oddly light headed as she heard light footsteps approaching and again the breathless, hissing sound that resembled breathing. Her sight blurred and filled with an almost impossibly bright fog before everything went black…   
  
*****   
  
With a strangled yelp, Trinity bolted upright in her bed, gasping for air. She saw in her doorway, framed in light stood a dark form.   
"What do you want? Don't come any nearer or I swear you'll regret it!" The figure entered the room and crossed it with quick strides.   
"Trin, what are you ranting about?" cried Hope's voice.   
"Oh, God, Hope," sighed Trinity with relief.   
"You had the dream too," Hope stated rather than asked, in a matter-of-fact tone. Trinity nodded.   
"It's weird," she said. Hope nodded in agreement.   
"Something weird is definitely going on in this city," Hope said, "and I have a feeling that once again it'll be up to us to solve the riddles and figure it all out." Trinity groaned in reply.   
"Why do these things always seem to come up when we're just beginning to enjoy ourselves?" she muttered.   
  
*****   
  
Cordelia and Wesley were both busy researching their latest case when Angel emerged from his suite, just returning from his latest visit with Faith.   
"I trust your visit went well…" Wesley looked up at Angel and frowned, "Has something happened?"   
"When I got to the prison she was gone…"   
"She escaped?" cried Cordelia with unhidden shock in her voice.   
"I didn't say that," Angel replied, "One of the guards said they were attacked by something…something trying to get in," he said, "not out."   
"So you believe that whatever it was, captured Faith,"said Wesley.   
"Yes," replied Angel, "yes, I think so."   
  
*****   
  
Faith came to and found herself somewhere, surrounded by murky darkness and a musty, dank smell. In the gloom, she could see several forms, dark shadows against the murk. Her instincts immediately told her that above all she had to escape and fast. She was surprised to find herself unchained and uncaged...They must have expected that they would be able to keep her unconscious with their power. She remained motionless watching the group of demons milling about, through slitted eyes. This time she knew she could not be reckless and attempt to take them all on herself. She'd bide her time, wait until some left or they had their guard down, but make no mistake about it, she'd escape as soon as she saw her chance.   
  
*****   
  
"Well, since Aunt Viv wants us over on Saturday, we'll have to celebrate the anniversary of our reaching high-master status on Friday night instead," said Hope thoughtfully.   
"Sounds good," agreed Trinity, "We could make a reservation at a nice restaurant and then come back here for desert."   
"That's what I had in mind," agreed Hope, "I'll buy the cake…" Trinity nodded absently   
"I'll be visiting Matt, you remember him, on Friday too, so I'll pick up something up on the way…" she said.   
"Good job," smiled Hope.   
"Always," replied Trinity smugly.   
  
*****   
  
"Yes, thank you, give us a call if you see or hear anything." Angel hung up the phone, "I've called all the places where she might've gone if she really did escape from prison or if she was kidnapped, from whoever or whatever took her. No one's seen anyone who fits her description, though."   
"Well that was pointless," muttered Cordelia.   
"We'll find her," Wesley reassured Angel and Cordelia, or at least tried to.   
"I have no doubt of that,"replied Angel, "I just hope she'll be in one piece…if she really was kidnapped by demons of some kind."   
  
*****   
  
Friday came up so quickly it was amazing.   
"God, it seems like we just got here yesterday," muttered Hope as she watched Trinity fuss with her hair…"Trinity, what are you… Why are you so concerned about your hair, you're only going to visit Matt."   
"Yeah, well…We're supposed to be going out for dinner tonight and *I* am going straight to the restaurant from Matt's and I don't want to have to do it there…" replied Trinity a mite testily.   
"Okay, I'm sorry, a little touchy tonight aren't we?" Trinity turned, arching an eyebrow, giving her sister a sharp 'Don't mess with me,' look. Hope just gave her the exact same look right back.   
"You know, I don't have time for a staring contest with you right now. I have to get ready…" Trinity turned away from Hope and began fussing with her hair again.   
"Oh, you're no fun at all," teased Hope.   
"I'm great fun, just not when I have to fight with my hair." Hope collapsed a touch sulkily onto Trinity's bed and glared at her sister. Trinity caught her sister's eyes in the mirror and glared back for a minute.   
"You're in one of your moods, aren't you?" Trinity said after a moment or two. Hope shrugged.   
"So I'm bored. You have some guy you're going to see and I'm sitting her alone until our reservation…"   
"Well, then gout out somewhere…*Do* something today…"   
"After that crazy encounter on Wednesday?" she chuckled, "uh, no, I don't *think* so." Trinity coughed, but it sounded remarkably like she said the word, 'Coward'.   
"I heard that," snapped Hope.   
"I love you!" quipped Trinity.   
"Bite me,"retorted Hope.   
"No thanks, I happen to be a vegetarian…"   
"Since when?"   
"Uh…uh…now?" Hope fell back on the bed and dissolved into laughter. Trinity was not too far behind her. The two of them just couldn't keep the banter up that long. Trinity stuck the last few pins into her hair.   
"Well, I'm done. I had better be going," she said grabbing her purse, "I'll see ya later."   
"Have fun," smiled Hope.   
  
*****   
  
Trinity hovered outside the apartment door. She smoothed down her skirt and then knocked. After a minute, give, or take, she heard footsteps and then the door opened. The sandy haired young man looked a little surprised, then he smiled.   
"Wow, Trinity…It's really good to see you…You look *great*. Did you get all dressed up just to come see me?" Trinity looked surprised at first, but then looked down at what she was wearing a grinned.   
"I bet you'd like that wouldn't you," she teased. Matt let her in and she embraced him. "It's really good to see you, Matt," she said. Matt smiled.   
"I wasn't expecting you to get all dressed up just to come and visit me…" Trinity smacked his shoulder.   
"You know I'm going out for dinner to night with Hope…" Matt smiled widely.   
"Yes, I know,"he grinned. Trinity swatted him again.   
"Prick,"she teased. Matt just smiled at her.   
"Do you want something to drink?" Matt asked Trinity once they were in his sitting room.   
"Oh, just a soda, I have to drive," she replied.   
"Of course,"said Matt as though he had just remembered that she wasn't staying long and that she was underage. He went to his fridge to get them both a drink and then they settled down to talk for a while.   
  
*****   
  
Hope studied herself in the mirror. She meticulously pinned and sprayed her hair. As long as it didn't rain her hair would be okay. She then did her make-up. When she liked what she saw she grabbed her purse and her car keys and hurried out the door to the elevator. There was an hour before her reservation. She was sure that that would give her enough time to get to the bakery and pick up the dessert with plenty of time to get to the restaurant.   
  
*****   
  
Trinity climbed into her car and wished Matt good-bye through her window.   
"It was really good to see you again, Matt," she said.   
"Like wise," he replied, "don't be afraid to drop by anytime."   
"Of course not. I'll see ya around…Well I'd better get going…"   
"Yeah, see ya Trin," Trinity started he car and pulled out of the driveway with a wave out the window before rolling it up again. She planned to stop at a supermarket on her way to the restaurant to pick up some daquery mix and some sprite or 7up, so that they could make some daqueries in celebration later.   
  
*****   
  
Faith had no idea how long the demons had been holding her prisoner, but finally she saw a chance to escape. Four or five of the demons had gone out…Maybe more even. She bided her time waiting until they were all facing away from her. She then climbed to her feet as silently as she could and slowly inched past them. Her whole body ached for a fight…it was wild, but she had to resist, that would come all in good time. When she was well past them, she took off at a run. Her instincts screamed at her to stop and fight like she was meant to, but she reminded herself that it would be safer out in the open. The demons, however, heard her and turning, yelled at her in their gravelly grinding voices and took off after her. She had to congratulate herself; it was one of the first times she'd escaped without just rushing in headlong and risking her life unnecessarily. Now, if she could only get to Angel before either the demons or the police got their hands on her.   
  
*****   
  
When Trinity reached the grocery store, she glanced at her watch. She still had half an hour. She quickly jumped out of her car and made her way to the front doors. It only took her a few minutes to grab what she needed and only another few in the check out line. When she was done, she still had fifteen minutes left.   
"Good," she said to herself heading out of the store to her car. As she walked, she noted an odd feeling, which she quickly recognized as the negative energy of a demon's or a group of demons' aura. She quickened her pace, not wanting to meet with a conflict when she already had plans. She spotted her car and quickened her pace even more. However, before she could get to the car door she found herself facing two demons between herself and her car.   
'Damn it,' she thought to herself, "Well guys,"she said with a smile, "it's nice to meet you and all, but I had better be going now, you know how it is…" She turned and nearly crashed into a third demon.   
"Sso, thought did you, sssslayer. Well easssy it iss not asss you exssspected."   
'Slayer,' she thought to herself, "You know, I'm afraid I have no idea what you're talking about, so I'll just be going now…"   
"I think not," growled the demon as they all began to close in on her.   
"I do…" snapped Trinity and threw her shopping bag at one of the demons as hard as she could, augmenting the power of the throw and its momentum with her telekinetic powers. The demon stumbled backward freeing up a gap and Trinity bolted through it and ran off as fast as she could.   
  
*****   
  
Hope reached the bakery with forty minutes left. She was glad to have so much time as she found that the bakery was pretty busy. She had to wait a good fifteen - twenty minutes before she was served, but she felt it was worth it when she had her dessert in hand. She was glad that she still had quite a bit of time left; it was still a way to the restaurant and she didn't want to be late. As she hurried to her car, she felt a sudden chill in the air. She slowed a moment and then quickened her pace again, she knew that it wasn't the air that had gone chill, but her spirit in response to an evil presence.   
:Hope!: A sharp mind voice suddenly sliced through her mind as clear as if she'd heard it, :Hope!:   
:Trinity?:   
:Yeah, it's me. Now, listen to me very carefully. I was just attacked by three demons. I've managed to lose them, but they may come after you…us being twins and all…Be careful.:   
:Too late!:   
:What?:   
:I think they've found me already…I think I had better put you on hold…Uh, I'll talk to you in a bit.: Hope faced the three demons surrounding her.   
"Away you thought you could get, did you?" The demon tisk tisked, while Hope noted that its voice was likened to a rusty steel grate.   
"I don't know if I *thought* I could get away, but right now I *know* that I can…" The three demons all laughed aloud…a horribly empty, mirthless sound. She looked down at the crème brouille she was holding. She hesitated a moment glancing from it to the demon in front of her and back to it. Finally she made her decision and regretfully slammed the dessert in to the demon. Surprised it stumbled back and gave her just enough space and time to break past him.   
:Hope, you okay?: demanded Trinity telepathically.   
:Yeah, great despite the fact that I'm running for my life at the moment, in not the best cloths for it…Why do I get the feeling that we're going to be missing our dinner reservation?:   
:Doesn't it suck that demons have a really lousy sense of timing…?:   
:Yeah, either that or they're just really inconsiderate when it comes to schedules…: Hope heard Trinity's mind voice laughing.   
:That's very true, sis, that's very true,: came Trinity's mind voice after a moment…:Oh, shit!:   
:What's wrong?: demanded Hope telepathically.   
:Well, I just ran into three more demons. Seems they have buddies…:   
:Well, fuck-a-doodle-doo,: quipped Hope, :This just isn't our day…:   
  
*****   
  
Faith turned a corner fearing coming face to face with the demons, or even worse the L.A.P.D. before she could get to Angel and tell him what was going on.   
'And I was just getting used to prison life,' she thought to herself just as she ran head long into three of the demons she was trying to escape.   
"Well, hiya boys," she gibed, "you know I'd love to stay and chat, but I really have to be somewhere else." She turned and headed the other way. She wanted to fight them. Every particle of her being was screaming for her to turn and fight like she was supposed to, but again her brain told her that even if there were only three of them now, there were still others out there and she didn't think she could take on all of them at once. If she just had Angel's help then it would be less difficult. She turned down another street feeling almost as though some force greater than herself was leading her somewhere or to something, she wasn't sure what or where though.   
  
*****   
  
Trinity turned down yet another street in an attempt to lose the pursuing demons. She and Hope no longer spoke to one another telepathically as they ran, both needing their minds fully on their flight. As she ran, she spotted an intersection where three other roads converged with hers.   
  
*****   
  
Hope noted that the road she was already on converged with three others. She turned the corner and nearly crashed into two others…who were identical to her.   
"Whoa!" she cried as she screeched to a halt. The girl directly ahead of her stopped, sliding sideways, almost resembling the breaking technique in ice hockey. The other halted and immediately took on a fighting stance. The three stared at each other, all nearly frozen in shock.   
"Whoa, whoa, wait a minute here," cried Hope, "Last time I checked I only had *one* twin…"   
"Hope?" asked the woman directly ahead of her.   
"Yeah, Trin?" Trinity nodded.   
"O…kay…" said Hope, her eyebrows knitting.   
"So, if you're Hope/Trinity," said both girls at the same time, "and I'm Trinity/Hope then that must mean…" They both looked at the third, "that you're that Faith everyone's been talking about…"   
"Well…fuck-a-doodle-doo," muttered Trinity. Faith looked at Trinity with a shocked look on her face, almost as though she'd never heard a person swear before. Trinity arched her eyebrows at Faith in an expression that seemed to say, 'What?'   
"All right," said Hope shaking off the last of her shock. "I think this is where we get our asses as far away from here as possible before out lovely friends show up…" and then she glanced up at the sky completely covered from horizon to horizon with heavy, dark storm clouds. Trinity followed her sister's gaze.   
"Yeah, and before the sky opens up and to starts to pour," she agreed just as the nine demons caught up to them.   
"Damn," muttered Hope and Trinity to themselves in perfect unison.   
"And *this*," said Faith, "is where we kick some serious demon ass…"   
"Great," growled Hope, "just what I need…Another headache." Just as the demons attacked. Faith fought with the energy she always did. Hope, with her telekinetic powers, gestured subtlely and threw an approaching demon back against a brick wall as hard as she could. There was a loud snap as the demon's neck broke. Trinity did quite close to the same thing only she froze it first as it lunged at her. When Faith had beaten down one or two herself Hope spoke.   
"Okay," she said, "enough of this shit, let's go."   
"What?" demanded Faith, not usually used to quitting in the middle of a fight. Trinity was now standing next to Hope and the two were gazing anxiously at her.   
"Look," said Trinity, "if you want to stay here and fight until you're dead, that's fine, but we are not about to stick around here and risk *our* lives when we don't yet have a strategy…"   
"You play your way and we'll play our way," agreed Hope, "It's up to you, but we're gone." The two turned away and started down one of the roads. Faith hesitated a moment and then hurried after the other two.   
  
*****   
  
Hope growled to herself as she ran while holding her skirt.   
'The day I choose to wear this damned skirt is naturally the day we find ourselves running for our lives…' she thought to herself. She had good reason to be annoyed. Her skirt was a full length with a slit up one side making it awkward to run in. Trinity was slightly luckier as she was wearing a knee length skirt…One of the rare times she wore ever wore a skirt, but of course she wasn't exactly wearing the best shoes…Neither of them were.   
  
*****   
  
Faith, being faster than the other two, finally found herself in front of the others, but they were actually doing a pretty good job of keeping up…even with the shoes they happened to be wearing, which weren't exactly running shoes. Even so, there were bound to be problems and one found Trinity first. As they ran, suddenly the heal of one of her shoes broke and she stumbled.   
"Goddamn it!" Trinity shrieked, "those were 80 dollar shoes." In angry frustration she pulled her shoes off and threw them over her shoulder barely missing Hope.   
"Hey, watch it," Hope snapped. Trinity didn't reply, but luckily the demons didn't see the shoes and one or two of them tripped over them and fell, crashing into boxes of dustbins of some sort.   
"Way to go, Trin," smiled Hope, again Trinity didn't answer. The next problem struck Hope. As she ran, perhaps a little clumsily, she stumbled and nearly fell.   
"Goddamn it, son of a bitch, stupid, piece of shit shoes!" she yelled angrily. She halted mid-run and kicked her foot so that, amazingly enough, her shoe flew off her foot and magically sailed right over her head with the second not too far behind. Both shoes found their marks and struck two of the demons squarely in the head. Shocked the two stumbled and crashed into some piled up boxes which, quite nicely, clattered to the ground and buried them. Both Faith and Trinity looked surprised, both more by the previous outburst rather then the proceeding defeat of the two demons. Hope paused a moment just as a loud rumbling boom was heard overhead.   
"Damn it!" cried Trinity, "was that thunder?" The crash was followed promptly by a bright flash of light.   
"Yeah," replied Hope, "and that was lightening. God, can this day get any worse?"   
"Don't say that!" cried Trinity as they started to run again, "things can *always* get worse, never forget that…"   
  
*****   
  
Faith considered her two look-alikes as she ran. She could hear crashes of falling boxes and dust bins and automatically assumed that it was the demons. She then thought about her 'twins'; maybe it was them. She had noticed that they both seemed to have some strange powers…She quickly had to conclude that they were witches, albeit powerful ones. Not like the red headed wiccan Willow Rosenberg back in Sunnydale, but far more practiced with a greater understanding of the craft. It made sense…That would easily explain what she'd seen them do…She felt the first drops of rain on her face and then the sky opened up and it began to pour.   
'Damn it,' she thought, 'just my luck…'   
  
*****   
  
Hope reached out telekinetically, throwing boxes and dust bins at and in the way of the demons. Trinity was doing the same and between the two of them, they had managed to stop a couple more demons, but there were still three or four still hot on their tails.   
"Don't these guys ever give up?" cried Trinity.   
"Apparently they're used to the air here," replied Hope.   
"It's not that bad right now," said Trinity, "but I can still feel the pollution in the air…"   
"I knew there was a reason we should have stayed in Vancouver," agreed Hope a little breathlessly.   
"Shit!" cried Trinity, suddenly halting, Hope not too far behind.   
"Dead end," stated Faith, "sorry girls, but now we're gonna have to fight our way out of this."   
"Yeah yeah," muttered Hope.   
"Rub it in why don't ya," snapped Trinity. The three turned to face the on coming demons.   
"Hmm," said Hope as she got her second wind, "three of them and three of us…The odds are in our favour…"   
"Yup," agreed Trinity. Faith ran at one of the demons and attacked it. The other two stayed put, however, ready with far more dangerous weapons; those of magic and spell. Hope decided it was time for thought forms and created a knife made of nothing more than magic, but still just as deadly as one made of metal, if not more so. She 'threw' it, telekinetically, at the demon and the magical blade sliced through its chest, straight into its heart and right through it. The demon looked shocked a moment, stumbled back and crumpled to the ground, very dead. Trinity froze the demon in its tracks as it ran for her and then mind blasted it. The demon promptly collapsed while Faith continued to wale on the last demon.   
"Uh, Faith!" Trinity called suddenly.   
"WHAT!" screamed Faith, not liking to be interrupted in the middle of ass kicking a baddy.   
"It seems some have gotten by the barriers of stuff we threw in their way and they're coming!" called Hope.   
"And they've got friends," finished Trinity. With a final burst of energy, Faith managed to get around one of the demon's strikes and broke its neck.   
"What the fuck do you mean?!" demanded Faith.   
"We mean that more trouble's on its way," hissed Trinity.   
"And they should be here in…oh…about ten seconds…" Just as Hope finished, eleven more demons appeared.   
"Like I said," Trinity gestured to the on coming demons. "Anymore stupid questions?" asked Hope…"Good," she finished not giving Faith the chance to reply.   
"You guys ready?" said Faith about to get in some more action.   
"There's no way we can take on that many demons between the three of us," growled Trinity.   
"And between you and me, Faith, I'm not planning on dying in the not so distant future," continued Hope.   
"Well, if you guys don't fight, you're gonna die anyway, so I say it's decision time," snapped Faith. The two others growled softly, but still got ready for another fight.   
Two more demons fell to Hope's magical attacks and one more to Trinity's. Faith was able to take down two more herself, but that left six demons and the two sorceresses were getting worn down. Hope was able to take down one more before her magic gave out and Trinity two herself. She and Faith were working on a pair, but Hope had put too much energy into thought forming and had barely enough strength left. Trinity, feeling her own magic growing low, attempted a kick at the demon, but her knee length skirt obstructed her and the demon laughed.   
"You're going to have to do better than that," he said in his gravelly voice.   
"Oh yeah?" snapped Trinity and lifted her skirt above her knees and kicked him in the head. The demon stumbled back dazed, but was ready for another strike in just seconds. Suddenly the three heard the squeal of tires and running footsteps and before they could blink two of the demons had lost their heads to a long-sword, while Faith finished off the last. More running footsteps followed and the three found themselves standing in front of two men.   
"Faith," said one of them. He was tall, dark and very hot, "good to see you again…" Then his voice trailed off as he noticed the other two.   
"Wait a minute, " said the other. He was shorter and a little stuffy, like some Englishmen tended to be…"Angel, there are three of them."   
"Ladies and gentlemen," quipped Hope, "the weird British guy, master of the obvious…"   
"Don't worry about it Wesley," said the other man, who the British guy had called Angel.   
"B-but, there are *three*," Wesley stammered.   
"Good,"said Trinity sarcastically, "now that we all know that you can count to three, my sister and I would like to go home."   
"No, that's not about to happen just yet," said Angel. Hope and Trinity could both sense something strange about him. Then Hope leaned in close to Trinity and whispered,   
"He's a vampire." Trinity nodded suddenly realizing that Hope was right.   
  
*****   
  
Angel stared at the three identical girls. One was wearing a just past knee length skirt and a dark blue tank top. The other was wearing a black, full-length skirt, with a slit up the side and a black pull over, over a slightly lighter blue top. Neither of them were wearing shoes. The third girl, who appeared to be the real Faith, was still wearing what she'd been wearing when she'd turned herself in. The other two appeared to have had their hair up in quite elaborate hairstyles, but now they appeared to be falling out as the rain soaked them from top to toes. The two glared at him, angry that he wasn't letting them leave.   
"Look," said the one in the long skirt, "we are tired, drained, cold and wet…We want to go home, if you don't mind."   
"No one is going anywhere until we get to the bottom of this," said Wesley. The girl in the shorter skirt quickly turned her glare from Angel to him. She then looked over at a dustbin and it suddenly rose up into the air and then moved to hover directly over top of Wesley's head.   
"How about the bottom of this?" she hissed. Wesley made a move to step out from under the bin and it suddenly dropped a foot or so.   
"Ah ah," said the girl, "don't you *dare* move…"   
"All right, that's enough,"said Angel, "let's just go to my office and talk about this…" He took a step toward the girl in the long skirt and she raised a hand, in it a nicely sharpened wooden stake. most likely, it had been hidden up her sleeve, but then Angel remembered that her pull over was sheer and close fitting…So then where had the stake come from?   
"Ah ah," she said, sounding just like the other, "I an throw this thing very fast and damn hard. Come any closer and Vampire, poof, you're dust…I never miss my mark." Angel stopped and gazed at her.   
"Look,"he said, "I don't want any trouble, I just want to figure this all out…Let's just go to my office and talk this all over."   
"Hmm,"said the girl with the stake, "let me think about it… uhhh…NO!"   
"As my sister said before," continued the other, still holding the dust bin over Wesley's head, "We are cold, wet, tired, hungry, and we don't have any shoes on…We want to go back to our nice dry hotel room and eat, have a nice hot shower and go to bed…We don't feel like playing twenty questions with a Vampire and some crazy British guy until all hours of the night…"   
"Well then," said Wesley, "the sooner we get to the office, the sooner we can talk and the sooner you girls can get home to your dinners and showers…" Angel almost felt like applauding Wesley as the two girls exchanged glances and then the one lowered her stake while the other dropped the dust bin over by the wall.   
"We don't have our cars, though," said the girl in the long skirt.   
"That's fine,"replied Angel, "we can take my car…"   
"No, nyet, nada…It's not going to happen," said the other…   
"Well it's going to have to," replied Angel, "because we're not about to let you take your cars anyway." Both girls growled to themselves but followed Angel and Wesley, if grudgingly and climbed into Angel's convertible.   
  
*****   
  
In less than fifteen minutes Hope and Trinity found themselves in a pretty nice office. Hope grabbed one of the chairs, while Trinity quickly flopped down in the desk chair before anyone could protest and propped her bare feet up on the desk, grabbing the key board for the computer and resting it on her legs to give her more space. Angel offered faith a chair and Wesley grabbed a third chair and sat in one of the more shadowy corners away from the group, looking a little restless and maybe even nervous. They were also joined by another young woman, who they'd heard Angel…or maybe it was Wesley…call Cordelia.   
"Well," said Trinity once she was comfortable, "here we are… we're listening…"   
"All right," said Angel sounding thoughtful, "why are you here?" Both the young women's eyebrows knitted.   
"And the point to this question is…" said Hope.   
"And not only that…Why is it your business…?" continued Trinity.   
"Just answer the question," said Wesley wearily.   
"Excuse me?" snapped Hope, quickly becoming aware of a faint muttering in the back of her mind that was akin to the sound of a TV or radio, with the volume turned low, echoing from another room…She became conscious of the fact that it was someone's thoughts…one of them that was with them in the room and it was not only irritating her, it was making her agitated. She stood and glared at Angel.   
"Now, you listen to me, Vampire," she hissed, "we had a reservation as a very expensive restaurant tonight. We were ready for a nice relaxing time in LA and in stead we find ourselves being chased by a group of demons, we lost two pairs of shoes that together cost close to 165 dollars, and then…" she chuckled, her voice filled with irony and bitterness, "and *then*, we find ourselves being held hostage…and WOULD YOU STOP THAT!" she suddenly snapped turning to Wesley. Wesley looked taken aback.   
"Stop what?" he demanded. Hope raised her hands up to her head as though she was about to grab it in pain.   
"Just - just stop -" she cried.   
"Stop thinking," finished Trinity, "Your thoughts are running around in your head like a caged animal and it's driving us crazy…" Wesley looked shocked, but the irritating distant muttering ceased and both girls relaxed visibly. Hope dropped back down into her chair with a relieved sigh.   
"*Thank* you…" she said…"Now, where was I…?" she looked over to Trinity, who glanced up at her from the computer screen, her fingers suddenly still as she temporarily ceased her typing…   
"Mmm…being held hostage I think," she said.   
"Oh, right," said Hope…"Now, as I was saying…" she continued turning back to Angel, "We do not take kindly to being held against out will…and I don't see how what we are doing here has to do with anything…" Wesley, Angel and Cordelia all looked annoyed with Hope's answer.   
"Just so you all know," said Trinity suddenly, though sounding a little distracted, glancing up from the computer again…"I, uh, agree with her…" she pointed at Hope.   
"Thanks sis," smiled Hope.   
"Yup," said Trinity, once again clicking away on the computer, "anytime, hon."   
"All right," said Angel, "if you won't answer the first question then answer this one…How did you get here?"   
"Uh, we drove…" said Hope almost like it was a question, as she started pulling pins free from her hair.   
"On what, broomsticks?" demanded Cordelia. Trinity stopped typing and Hope stopped playing with her hair and they both stared at Cordelia a moment and then Hope smiles sarcastically at Cordelia and gave something that came close to resembling a small laugh, albeit a sarcastic one.   
"Um, let's see…we drove our cars," replied Trinity in the very same almost questioning tone that Hope had used. They all glanced over at her and she held up her car keys and then shook her hair. Hope sneezed suddenly, but to the heightened senses of both Angel and Faith they could almost make out the words, 'Dumb Ass,' and they both guessed that she meant Cordelia. Trinity smiled slightly at Hope and then returned to her typing as Hope returned to her hair; resuming pulling pins free from what had once been two elaborate flat spirals made from half of her hair, while the rest had been left loose to fall to just past her shoulders.   
:Yes,: said a faint voice from within Hope's mind suddenly.   
:What?: Hope asked Trinity telepathically.   
:I've been using my talent of hacking into files to get into our hosts'…I just broke the last encryption, I'll let you know what it says…: Hope glanced over at Trinity. The others seemed to notice her glance and they all looked over at Trinity. Angel seemed to notice for the first time that Trinity was busy typing away.   
"Wait a minute," said Angel, "what are you doing…?"   
"uh…uh…nothing," she replied putting on an innocent face. Angel gave her a look that clearly said her didn't believe her and moved around to look at the computer screen, but with a couple of quick key strokes the computer screen went blank.   
"Okay…so I was doing something," Trinity smiled mischievously, "but you won't find out now…" Hope used her magical ability to pull things through space to bring her laptop to her. She reached down and picked it up off the floor and handed it over to Trinity.   
"Here, sis," she said. Trinity smiled and set about hooking it up.   
"Wait a minute," said Faith speaking for the first time since the battle, "where did that come from?"   
"We'll explain later, hon," Hope said, wrapping an elastic around her bunch of pins and then dropping them into her bag. She then shook her head, shaking her hair out so that the two spirals of hair fell free to her shoulders. With her hair loose it made her look even more like Faith, while at the same time making it very apparent that her dark eyes were not deep brown like Faith's were, but a dark, dark, unnatural jade green…In fact her eyes were a colour that not even most animals normally had, and so dark that in the night they had seemed to be the same as Faith', but no…It was the one thing, other than the way she carried herself that would distinguish her from Faith had she been wearing the same clothing.   
"What are you?" Wesley asked suddenly without thinking.   
"Angry and annoyed," snapped Hope.   
"Beautiful and intelligent," continued Trinity.   
"And above all…" added Hope   
"HUMAN…" they both snapped at the same time. Hope rolled her eyes feeling even more irritated.   
:Okay,: said Trinity suddenly, telepathically to Hope, :Here's the scoop on our 'hosts'…The Vampire's name is Angel…He seems to have a gypsy curse, which means he has a soul. He owns a private investigation company, hence the office…Uh, the English guy is an ex- member of something called the Watchers' Council, and is under the employ of Angel…It says his name is Wesley something-or-other…The ditzy young woman's name is Cordelia Chase. She apparently used to be working toward becoming an actress…but something happened; it doesn't say what though…: Her mind voice trailed off.   
:Where did you find this stuff anyway?: demanded Hope.   
:Uh…uh…the company's private files…: Hope smiled to herself.   
:Find anything on our dear sister?:   
:I'm working on it…I'm breaking into the police department's records now…:   
:Trinity…: Trinity glanced up and looked innocently at her sister.   
:What?: she asked telepathically, her mind voice sounding as innocent as she looked.   
"All right," said Angel with a sharp glance at Wesley, suddenly catching both girls' attention, "who are you girls?"   
"I'm Hope, she's Trinity…" Hope gestured to her sister.   
"What?" asked Wesley suddenly.   
"What what?" Trinity replied.   
"Hope and Trinity what?" said Cordelia clearing things up a little.   
"Williams," said the two in almost perfect unison. Faith looked almost taken aback.   
"That's…my last name." The two exchanged looks and smiled softly, then looked over at Faith.   
"Well, what were you expecting, hon?" Trinity said.   
"So why do you two look like Faith and have the same last name as her?" Angel asked.   
"Oh, come on…" groaned Trinity, "What is the most *obvious* and *rational* conclusion?"   
"Uh…can you say triplets?" asked Hope sarcastically. The two shook their heads in disbelief.   
:Oh dear,: said Trinity suddenly, mind speaking Hope again.   
:What?: demanded Hope, mind speaking back.   
:Seems our dear sister's been busy,: Trinity stated flatly and the proceeded to read Faith's police file. As Trinity read on Hope's expression must have changed, because the others looked at her oddly.   
"Is, uh, everything all right…uh, Hope?" Wesley asked suddenly. Hope almost appeared to shake herself.   
"Yeah," she said with a smile, "perfect." The three, because of her resemblance to Faith, had almost been expecting her to say five by five. Cordelia, Wesley, and Angel all looked as though they didn't believe her, but none of them said anything.   
"All right," said Angel continuing his interrogation, "where exactly are you from?"   
"Oh, here and there," replied Hope vaguely.   
"What does that mean?" demanded Cordelia.   
"Exactly what it sounds like," replied Trinity shutting down her laptop, "We travel a lot."   
"I still say we should've stayed in Vancouver, Trin, didn't I tell you?" said Hope turning to Trinity.   
"Yeah," muttered Trinity, "I'm beginning to wish we had…"   
"Wait a minute," said Cordelia suddenly. The two looked over at her, "Vancouver?"   
"Yeah," said Hope, "we grew up there…"   
"We're Canadians, dumb ass…" snapped Trinity. Cordelia looked surprised at first, but her expression quickly changed to that of near anger. She was about to make a reply, but before she could finish, forming a retort Angel spoke not giving her a chance.   
"You never *did* answer my first question," he said, "why are you here…?"   
"And if I remember correctly, we both said that it wasn't any of your business," Trinity snapped back.   
"Well that doesn't change anything,"claimed Wesley, "I find it odd that the two of you would just happen to come to LA, little more than a week and a half after Faith turns herself in to the police, only to be kidnapped by demons and to then escape to meet up with the two of you…It hardly seems like a coincidence." Hope gave Wesley a very serious look…One none of Angel or his employes had ever seen before from Faith.   
"Maybe," she said, "that's because there are no such things as coincidence or chance…and you have to remember that Faith, Trin and I are all triplets…Siblings with a bond as powerful as that will eventually find each other, even if they've been separated longer than they can remember…"   
"So, you're saying that it was meant to happen?" said Angel. Trinity snorted and abruptly stood.   
"You know…" she said, "this is re-god-damned-diculous…None of this is any of your business…and we don't have to sit here and play twenty questions…and we are not going to anymore…" Hope nodded in agreement.   
"We jump through hoops for no one," she said, "And we are now leaving…" The two headed out of the office. Trinity was already out the door and Hope was in the doorway, hand on the doorknob still, when she realized something and stopped.   
"I just realized something," she said turning back slowly to face the others, "because of you two…" she pointed to Angel and Wesley in turn, "neither of us have our cars…" Trinity then poked her head back in the door.   
"Hope, no cars. How the hell are we going to get back home?" Hope smiled, a mischievous glint showing in her eyes.   
"They are going to drive us," she replied gesturing to Angel and Wesley.   
"Wait a minute," retorted Angel, "I don't think -"   
"I do," interrupted Hope, "you brought us here against our will and now it seems we need to get home and *you* are the only one's who have cars…so it looks like you're going to have to do something for us now…even though it kills you…"   
"Hope," said Trinity, "he's already dead…" Hope gave her sister a sharp, but at the same time mischievous look, "sorry," Trinity said with a smile, "I meant living impaired."   
"And when I said kills you," said Hope, "I meant dusts you…" her smile faded quickly and she narrowed her eyes, "Okay, now let's go." Angel narrowed his eyes at Hope and Trinity.   
"Come *on*," insisted Trinity.   
"Fine, let's go," said Angel, grabbing his car keys. Hope and Trinity smiled smugly to themselves, while they headed out the door.   
"What about Faith?" demanded Wesley. Angel turned back around to face him.   
"I guess she'll have to stay here for tonight," he said, "We'll deal with her problem in the morning, I guess. Faith, you can stay in my suite tonight."   
"Okay," said Faith, still in slight shock from finding out she had two sisters, "thanks."   
"Are you coming?" demanded Trinity poking her head in the door once again. Angel didn't answer, he just glared at her as they left the office.   
  
*****   
  
"So, where are you staying?' asked Angel as they drove down the street.   
"Uh…uh…we're staying with a friend,"said Hope quickly.   
"I thought you said you were staying in a hotel," said Angel.   
"We did?" asked Trinity sounding surprised and yet thoughtful, "you must've heard wrong. It's not that much farther." She gave him a street name and an address.   
  
*****   
  
Angel stopped the car in front of an apartment building and Hope and Trinity hopped out.   
"Thanks," said Hope, "of course if you'd let us go and get our cars we could've driven ourselves…"   
"Come on, Hope," said Trinity, grabbing Hope's arm, "quite talking to the Vampire…it's nearly sunrise." Hope grinned at her sister.   
"Yeah, see you around," Hope said to Angel as she turned away and headed toward the building.   
  
*****   
  
Trinity knocked on the apartment door.   
"Are you sure about this, Trin?" Hope asked her sister.   
"Of course," replied Trinity, "relax, don't worry about it, really." Hope shrugged just as the door opened.   
"Trinity," said Matt looking very shocked. Trinity smiled.   
"You said any time…" she said.   
  
*****   
  
Angel returned to the office just as the sun was about to come up.   
"So, what happened?" demanded Cordelia as he entered.   
"Is everything all right?" asked Wesley.   
"Why wouldn't it be?" asked Angel, "I dropped them off at their apartment and came back here…"   
"Do you trust them?" demanded Wesley. Angle looked at the ex- Watcher seriously.   
"I'm…not sure, yet," her replied, "they don't seem to be a danger, but I can't forget that they are Faith's sisters…or at least that's what they say."   
"If they are, as they claim, then they could very well be as dangerous as Faith. We all saw…they have great power in their control… Who's to say they won't misuse it, or that they haven't already?"   
"I agree with you Wesley, but we can't judge them just because they are Faith's sisters. Faith didn't even seem to know that she had sisters. They easily could've grown up very differently, and they could be nothing like her, which is what it looks like…"   
"But that doesn't change the fact that they share the same parents and, therefore, the same potential to fall to evil. Can we really take that chance, Angel?"   
"I see a flaw in that logic, somewhere Wesley," stated Angel.   
"Even so," said Wesley, "you should be careful either way." Angle nodded thoughtfully.   
"I'll be careful,"said Angel, "and I'll keep an eye out for trouble from them." 


End file.
